Take the last train home

LTH rolls into the UCT this Friday

As I speak with Eric Brace, founding member
and driving force behind alt-country standard-bearers Last Train
Home, he is celebrating his 46th birthday by relaxing in the St.
Thomas Islands. The guitar-playing singer and former music
journalist is on a working vacation: He and the rest of the band
are making their annual February tour of the Virgin Islands,
enjoying the weather but still playing every evening for the next
two weeks. “It’s harder than most people
think,” says Brace of staying alive in the music business.
Yeah, right — it just sounds awful, hanging out on tropical
islands, getting paid to soak up the sun and play music. But it
hasn’t always been like this for the critically acclaimed
group. Originally from the Washington, D.C., area, Last Train Home
moved their base to Nashville, Tenn., a few years back to be close
to the music business and like-minded musicians. Since then,
they’ve steadily and consistently worked small tours,
released several good-sounding records, appeared on several tribute
albums (Michael Nesmith, Gene Clark, the Blasters, Peter Case), and
learned that keeping a band afloat is harder than most people think. “We want to keep cycling through towns
we’ve been playing,” says Brace, “but it’s
hard to know what to do next.” Gigging in Springfield, though, is easy. “I just love playing the Underground
City Tavern,” Brace says. “It’s pretty great
here.” The group’s last CD (Bound Away, 2005) was released
by Blue Buffalo, a German record label that, says Brace, does a
great job but is subject to the limitations of a small operation. “I don’t think there is anything
inherently good about being on a label unless they are going to
pour money into promotion,” he says. “We may distribute
the next record on our own and see how we do selling from the stage
and online.”Plans are in the works for the September
release of yet another LTH CD, after which the band will be off to
Europe for an October-November tour. Here we go again, living that tough life of a
traveling musician. “Yeah, we want to keep this going for a
while, see where it will take us,” he says. “We are
better musically than we’ve ever been, and I want to take
advantage of that.” Last Train Home rolls into the Underground City
Tavern (700 E. Adams, 217-789-1530) on Friday, March 17. Opening
act Stephen Simmons starts playing at 10 p.m.

St. Patrick’s
Day falls on a Friday this year, so you’ll have to pace
yourself if you expect to party on the big day but keep going
through the weekend. Bagpipers from the St. Andrews Society (God
bless ’em) are known to frequent Springfield taverns before,
during, and after the downtown parade. Keep an eye out (or an ear,
as the case may be) at the Brewhaus, Sammy’s, Floyd’s,
and the Alamo bars for the kilt-wearing laddies. The bagpipers are
actually scheduled to perform at Lime Street Café (951 S.
Durkin Dr., 217-793-1905) at noon and 8 p.m. Friday, March 17, then
again at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 18. The Emerald Underground (the
reformed Stone Ring Circle), our community’s one and only
Celtic-rock band, holds the nighttime slot at Lime Street on Friday
and Saturday. The best bet, in my book, for some daytime Irish
tunes is a stop at American Legion Post 32 (410 S. Fifth St.,
217-523-3415) between noon and 9 (but keep in mind that
there’ll be a pause in the action around 5 p.m.) I’m
betting my pot ’o gold that pianist Chuck Fredrickson knows
more Irish ballads and Celtic standards than all other Springfield
musicians combined. F5 (a local
tornado-tribute band, now contemplating a name change to F2) and
KISS (99.7 FM) have banded together with Karma Nightclub (625 N.
First St., 217-522-1907) for what is being called the “St.
Patty’s Day BASH” (please note the emphasis on the word
“bash”), The party starts at 8 p.m. Friday, March 17,
in whatever you want to call the place in the Vinegar Hill Mall
that’s previously been known as the Spot, the Atrium, and, I
think, long ago, Annie’s BBQ. Other participants include Mike
Tolley of Liquid Promos, a world-champion flair bartender from
Tampa, Fla.; and Simone Tolley, a former Tampa Bay Buccaneers
cheerleader. “Flair bartending” is the flashy technique
of twirling bottles and drink shakers way up in the air for the
entertainment of patrons, made famous by a long-ago movie starring
the dashing Tom Cruise. I’m not sure what NFL cheerleaders
actually do. In a move of magnanimous proportions, F5 and KISS have
agreed to donate some (please note the emphasis on the word
“some”) proceeds from the show to the American Red
Cross.